Nicotine
by AmazinglyMediocre
Summary: Maxie is left behind in a tragic turn of events, barely able to hold life together. He learns that remembering is not everything. Note: implied hardenshipping and implied character death. Inspired by the song "Nicotine."


He blinked in the darkness and rolled over for what felt like the millionth time. Sleep wasn't going to come tonight, but he still tried. Heavy lids squeezed closed and burnt fingers clutched at the sheets.

_ "What's this?" The brunette touched his hand. Red eyes flicked down to the scarred patches on his skin.  
><em>_ "I burned my hand," he murmured. Muscles stiffened as his sleeve was pulled up.  
><em>_ "Obviously not just your hand," Blue eyes flicked up and searched his face. "Is this why you always keep covered?" He laughed and made an excuse about sunburns. "Sure," the other had reached up and tugged down the neck of his sweater. "You said you burned your hand, you liar." The words had been said in good nature.  
><em>_ "My hand is burned."  
><em>_ "What happened?"  
><em>_ "Fire," he looked away and pushed his sleeve down.  
><em>_ "And yet you wanted more land?"  
><em>_ "I chose to keep my own experiences out and instead chose the better path for humanity."  
><em>_ The brunette shook his head. "You are a mystery to me."  
><em>_ "It wasn't nature's fault," he grimaced slightly. "I was thrown into a campfire by a group of other boys."  
><em>_ Concern crossed the other's face. "Why?"  
><em>_ "I don't know,"  
><em>_ "Can I…" he hesitated. "Can I see?"  
><em>_ He nodded and tugged the sweater up and over his head. Discolored scars traced over his ribcage and drew patterns across his chest. The cold brought goose bumps over his arms and a reddish tint spread from his face and down his neck.  
><em>_ "I don't know why anyone would have it in them to throw another person into the fire," the brunette looked him in the face and paused. "Actually, I guess we both do."_

Tiny droplets ran across the bridge of his nose and to his ear. He sat up and scrubbed at his face with the hem of his sleeve. The clock told him it was nearly four. Time hardly mattered anymore. It hadn't for several weeks now. He tried to keep a normal sleep schedule, but it never worked. Exhaustion hit whenever it hit, and he couldn't sleep at any other time. He spent almost every waking moment reading or doing some kind of research. It was all he had.

_ A gentle hand found his shoulder. "You need to sleep," another hand pulled the pen away. "It's getting too late."  
><em>_ "I don't," he muttered, grabbing for the writing utensil.  
><em>_ "You need to eventually," his chair was dragged back and he sighed. Long fingers removed his glasses and lightly set them on the desk. "Come on," he was lifted into the air and carried to bed. "Work isn't everything, you know." The bed was soft underneath him and he found his eyes immediately drifting closed as the covers were placed over him. "Get some sleep, love." A soft kiss was pressed to his forehead and all he knew was oblivion._

He raked his fingers through his hair and took a long drink from his water bottle. The floor felt icy against his bare feet. They carried him to the dresser and his hands located the picture frame that rested there. The room was pitch black, but he knew the image that was inside the wooden square. Fresh snow had just fallen and they were walking together. The feeling of warm fingers interlocked with his was still so new. It had been just a couple months ago when the photo had been taken. Winter's chill still had its hold on the world around him, yet he was oblivious to it.  
>More tears dripped onto the glass. A curse slipped from his lips and he wiped them away. His feet took him to the window and he stared outside. White covered everything with more flakes falling every second. It was just like the picture.<p>

It was so lonely. His chest ached as he sat down on the opposite side of the bed. The covers were still made and held no heat. A choking sound met his ears and he realized it was his own sobbing. He pushed his palms into the mattress and let out a wail. His breath caught in his throat and he hiccupped.  
>He hung his head and squeezed his eyes shut until lights flashed behind them. His sweater sleeves felt rough and uncomfortable as he rubbed at his face again. The sound of nails clicking in the hallway distracted him for a moment. A nose nudged the door open and Oceanus appeared. The Mightyena still had on his old blue collar.<br>The Pokemon looked up at him sadly and rested his head on the bed. "I know," he seemed to say.

Oceanus sighed and hopped onto the bed, curling up beside the other. His collar still read "If found, wait for Archie to show up." The messy scrawl had always been difficult to read and it had faded over time, making it nearly impossible to decipher. What had formerly been a stiff, durable weave of fabric was now soft and pliable.

_ "Hey," the brunette's voice was hardly a rasp. He looked up and saw the sadness in those blue eyes. "I'll be fine," he gave a small grin that emanated reassurance. And yet, seeing his condition, he couldn't believe those words. The other was beyond ill; he was dying. There was barely anything the doctors could do. They had tried just about everything with very little improvement.  
><em>_ "Max. Listen. I'm going to make it, okay? I can't stand you moping around like this. It's depressing," the pirate grabbed his hand. _

He wasn't sure how long he sat, simply crying and stroking the dog's fur. The shaking, echoing sobs soon subsided and his breath regained a proper rhythm. Oceanus looked up at him and slid off of the bed quietly. The Mightyena walked over to the closet and used a skill he had learned from his master. He stood on his hind legs and opened the door with his front paws. That ability had always been so annoying to the redhead, as the Pokemon had a tendency to open the door to strangers. Oceanus came back to the bed and bit into the hem of his pants, tugging toward the door.  
>"Fine, fine, I'm coming," he was surprised at how tired his voice sounded. The Mightyena stood on his hind legs again and nosed the light switch on. Bright light shone in his face and the redhead winced, squinting and turning away. Oceanus was unaffected and wandered inside. The geologist finally turned around again and stepped into the closet. It was fairly large, with enough space for the two of them to comfortably stand inside. Half of the closet was neatly folded and orderly. The other half was simply Archie. He sighed at the thought of the other's name. He had tried so hard to force it out of his head; to try and remember the pirate as who he was and not as a name.<p>

And yet, now that he thought of Archie as a whole, he felt as if the memory was more complete. A quiet laugh escaped his lips. His usual nearsightedness, mentally and physically, had prevented him from seeing the flaw in his way of thought. Trying to think of the brunette as simply the loud, boisterous, and completely lovable person he had been was to think of him as just another person. The image, the idea of him would become warped and eventually forgotten over time. Seeing him as Archie would anchor who he was. He wouldn't become a different person over time.  
>Oceanus barked and looked up at him, tail wagging slowly. He performed another trick he had picked up over the years and bared his teeth in what looked like a grin. The redhead knelt and rubbed the Mightyena behind his ears.<br>He stood again and found some warm clothing to wear, pausing for a moment before grabbing one of Archie's coats off of its hanger. The geologist quietly went about dressing himself, having to spend more than a few minutes trying to tame his hair. It was far messier than it had been in a long time: full of tangles and refusing to stay in place.

He sighed and stared into the mirror for a moment after combing his hair. Tired, red-rimmed eyes looked back at him. Dark circles stained the skin underneath them. Ivory skin was blotched with pink. The man staring back at him seemed more dead than alive. He had forgotten himself in his struggle to remember.

Maxie shook his head and turned from the mirror, grabbing his glasses and shutting the light off. He put the lenses on and picked up Archie's coat as he passed the bed. Oceanus followed him out the front door and paused, allowing him to properly pull on and button the coat. Cold nipped at his face as he tugged his hood on and trudged through the snow. Though Lilycove was hardly a mile away, he couldn't see it through the constantly falling flakes. His steps turned in the direction of Mount Pyre. Ever since the incident with Groudon, he had always had a natural ability to navigate and find the place. Archie had seemed to have the same experience.  
>Oceanus barked and romped in the white stuff, rolling and kicking and enjoying himself. The Mightyena would often disappear in a drift and suddenly jump out, shaking his fur. Maxie smiled and watched the dog, trusting his feet to find the right path.<br>He quietly stepped onto the ice when they reached the dock. Oceanus had already run and skid across the frigid surface several times, jumping around and stomping to test it. The Pokemon had obviously done it before, as he avoided a few areas of ice and barked when he reached one. Archie had never really trained the dog, he had just picked up on tricks and human characteristics.  
>"Come!" Maxie shouted across the ice when he reached the entrance. The Mightyena came bounding up and sat down, wagging his tail. "You're energetic tonight," the redhead sighed and walked into the mountain.<br>Archie hadn't desired a big monument. There was simply a headstone with his name engraved on it. Max knelt in front of it and rested his head against the cool stone. Oceanus curled up behind him, growling to ward off the occasional Shuppet or Duskull.  
>The redhead stayed like that for a while, simply remembering what had been. He let out a breath as an unseen weight lifted from his shoulders. Life would go on.<p>

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I guess I have to say the usual and tell you that I do not own or claim to own anything in this story. I'm just using the characters and whatnot. The song here is Nicotine, by Panic! At the Disco. I would suggest listening to that. Thanks again and please leave a review!**


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